Internalism and Externalism in Epistemology The internalism-externalism (I-E) debate lies near the center of contemporary discussion about epistemology. The basic idea of internalism is that justification is solely determined by factors that are internal to a person. Externalists deny this, asserting that justification depends on additional factors that are external to a person. A significant aspect of the I-E debate involves setting out exactly what

Jean Bodin (c. 1529—1596) The humanist philosopher and jurist Jean Bodin was one of the most prominent political thinkers of the sixteenth century. His reputation is largely based on his account of sovereignty which he formulated in the Six Books of the Commonwealth. Bodin lived at a time of great upheaval, when France was ravaged by the wars of religion between the Catholics and the

Diogenes of Sinope (c. 404—323 B.C.E.) The most illustrious of the Cynic philosophers, Diogenes of Sinope serves as the template for the Cynic sage in antiquity. An alleged student of Antisthenes, Diogenes maintains his teacher’s asceticism and emphasis on ethics, but brings to these philosophical positions a dynamism and sense of humor unrivaled in the history of philosophy. Though originally from Sinope, the majority of

The Bhagavad Gītā The Bhagavad Gītā occurs at the start of the sixth book of the Mahābhārata—one of South Asia’s two main epics, formulated at the start of the Common Era (C.E.). It is a dialog on moral philosophy. The lead characters are the warrior Arjuna and his royal cousin, Kṛṣṇa, who offered to be his charioteer and who is also an avatar of the

Feng Youlan (Fung Yu-lan, 1895—1990) Feng Youlan (romanized as Fung Yu-lan) was a representative of modern Chinese philosophy. Throughout his long and turbulent life, he consistently engaged the problem of reconciling traditional Chinese thought with the methods and concerns of modern Western philosophy. Raised by a modernist family who nonetheless gave him a traditional Confucian education, Feng pursued two great goals during his career: rewriting

Vasubandhu (fl. 4. oder 5. Jh. C.E.) Vasubandhu war ein bekannter buddhistischer Lehrer und eine der wichtigsten Figuren in der Entwicklung des Mahyna-Buddhismus in Indien. Allerdings wird er von späteren Buddhisten besonders als Mitbegründer der Yogcra-Schule zusammen mit seinem Halbbruder Asanga bewundert, seine Vor-Yogcra-Werke, wie der Abhidharmakosha und sein Autokommentar (Abhidharmakoshashya) darauf, gelten als Meisterwerke. Er